Pro-Palestinian students set up tent camp on UvA Roeterseiland campus

The ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ was established at noon and consists of about twenty tents and 175 demonstrators. The aim is to ‘call on universities to end their complicity in Israel’s crimes.’

The associated demands: the university must be open about its ties with Israeli institutions and companies and sever its ties with the latter. It is also demanded that the UvA sever its ties with academic institutions and other educational institutions.

Those involved say that the demonstrators will continue until the UvA agrees to their demands.

Teachers present

In addition to students, there are also dozens of teachers present. They support the demonstration and are there to provide a possible shield if the police intervene, says senior lecturer and political anthropologist Martijn Denker.

Protests are taking place at the camp with slogans such as ‘Israel is an illegal state since 1948’ and ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. There is also dancing to music from the Middle East.

The tent camp is inspired by the tent camp in America, says Dekker. Recently, protests have been held at numerous American educational institutions against the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. This was not the case everywhere. Just last week, the police cracked down on a university campus.

The organization in Amsterdam has blocked access to the camp from the two surrounding bridges with blockades. Flyers are also distributed containing their three demands, which are aimed at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and other universities.

Stay overnight

“We are not here to camp for two days or so,” one of the organizers told ANP. “We are here to demand that this university end its complicity in genocide.”

A spokesperson for the UvA said mid-afternoon that some things are still being considered, but that a report will be filed if it becomes clear that the demonstrators want to spend the night there. That is contrary to the house rules.

In addition to setting up the tents, the students barricaded bridges on the island with pallets and hoisted Palestinian flags. The banners read, among other things, ‘Academic boycott now‘.

Brought over from the USA

According to the organization, the protest was organized by students and was inspired by the pro-Palestinian protests at universities in the United States, where students from about forty universities have been protesting for days. About 2,000 American students have been arrested so far. Tent camps have now also been set up at universities in several other countries.